Podcast Summary: The Economics of Everyday Things — Episode 12: Women’s Sports Bars

Host: Zachary Crockett (Freakonomics Network)
Date: February 9, 2026

Main Theme / Purpose

This episode explores the rise and economics of women’s sports bars, focusing on The Sports Bra in Portland, Oregon—the first sports bar in America to play only women’s sports. Through the story of owner Jenny Nguyen and academic commentary, the episode investigates what it takes to create such a space, the untapped demand for women’s sports, and how changing "what’s on TV" might change culture and business alike.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Invisibility of Women’s Sports in Public Viewing Spaces

• Jenny Nguyen’s Motivation

  • In 2018, Nguyen and friends couldn't get the NCAA women's basketball championship on at a local bar, despite dozens of empty TVs ([01:09–01:58]).
  • The frustration led her to joke about opening a bar called “The Sports Bra,” dedicated to women's sports:

    “The only way we're ever going to watch a women's game in its full glory is if we had our own place.” (Jenny Nguyen, [02:42])

• The Broader Experience for Women’s Sports Fans

  • Watching women’s sports in public spaces is often difficult. Even finding games on TV can be a struggle.

    “The inability to find a place to watch it, the inability to find it at all on TV...you look it up on the Internet and you can't find it.” (Jenny Nguyen, [05:26–05:48])

• Academic Perspective: Cheryl Cookie

  • Studies show TV coverage of women’s sports on local affiliates has barely changed in decades—about 5% coverage ([06:16]).
  • Cultural awareness of men’s sports is “like the air we breathe,” in stark contrast to the effort required to follow women’s sports.

2. From Dream to Reality: Building The Sports Bra

• Personal Background

  • Nguyen, the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, was passionate about basketball and later cooking ([03:35–05:06]).
  • Her father’s advice: experience the worst job in your chosen field before committing ([04:13]).

• Founding Challenges

  • All banks rejected her business loan proposal for lacking entrepreneurial experience, launching during the pandemic, and the novel concept ([08:10–08:29]).
  • Nguyen funded the project with life savings, help from family/friends, and a successful Kickstarter—$105,000 raised in a month ([08:47]).

3. The Sports Bra Opens — and Succeeds

• Opening Day

  • April 1, 2022: Opened to huge crowds and media attention ([11:20–11:42]).

    "I semi blacked out that day because there were just so many feelings." (Jenny Nguyen, [11:42])

• Business Model & Atmosphere

  • Appears like a classic sports bar but with five TVs, seating for 40, memorabilia, and exclusively women-owned breweries ([12:01]).
  • Purposefully designed as an unapologetic space for women’s sports:

    “The Sports Bra is unlike anything that I've experienced as a woman...It is a space that is explicitly about women's sports in an unapologetic way.” (Cheryl Cookie, [12:26])

4. Demand, Audience, and Economic Success

• Myth-Busting: People Want Women’s Sports

  • 2018 Nielsen poll: 84% of sports fans interested in watching women’s sports ([13:33]).
  • 2023 NCAA women’s basketball final had 9.9 million viewers ([13:33]).

• Access Still a Barrier

  • Women’s sports require “digging deep” for multiple subscriptions and effort to find coverage ([14:07–14:30]).

• Operational Challenges and Diversity

  • Cable/sports streaming can cost small bars $2,000+ per month ([14:30]).
  • The Sports Bra plays more than a dozen sports—from basketball to roller derby to the Special Olympics ([15:09]).

• Unexpected Customer Demographics

  • Many “regular” male clients find women’s sports more team-oriented and less “ego-driven” ([15:38]).

    “A lot of the men's sports to them have gotten so convoluted with drama, ego, selfish play. Whereas in a lot of women's sports, it's much more like classic fundamentals.” (Jenny Nguyen, [15:38])

• Financial Success

  • Over $1 million in revenue the first year—three times the average US bar ([16:01]).

    "It has been profitable since that very first day. I paid off all the loans...I was able to pay myself from day one.” (Jenny Nguyen, [16:14])

5. Broader Social Impact and Replication

• Potential for Expansion

  • Franchising and copycat bars in other cities—proof-of-concept for the business model ([16:39]).
  • Even partial shifts (“Women’s Wednesday” in other bars) seen as a victory ([17:00]).

• Creating New Fandom and Representation

  • Young girls seeing women athletes and fandom modeled in public spaces ([17:23–17:38]).

    "If I was 9 years old and my parents took me to a place like the Sports Bra, what kind of an impact that would have had on my life...All we're doing is changing the channel and it kind of changes everything." (Jenny Nguyen, [17:38])

• Personal Victory

  • Nguyen’s parents are now regulars:

    "Mom is there every day. Dad's there about twice a week...to eat and drink and watch sports." (Jenny Nguyen, [18:16])

• Breaking Down Stereotypes

  • Old-school bar-goers sometimes wander in and end up loving it ([18:47]):

    “And they sit down and they're like, this is rad.” (Jenny Nguyen, [18:47])

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 02:42 | Jenny Nguyen | “The only way we're ever going to watch a women's game in its full glory is if we had our own place.” | | 07:14 | Jenny Nguyen | “If we had our own place, what would we call it? ...The Sports Bra.” | | 11:42 | Jenny Nguyen | “I semi blacked out that day because there was just so many feelings.” | | 12:26 | Cheryl Cookie | “The Sports Bra is unlike anything that I've experienced as a woman...It is a space that is explicitly about women's sports in an unapologetic way.” | | 13:33 | Cheryl Cookie | “The idea that the demand or interest isn't there is now being challenged by empirical evidence. The audience is there. It's just the content isn't always easily accessible...” | | 17:38 | Jenny Nguyen | “All we're doing is changing the channel and it kind of changes everything.” | | 18:47 | Jenny Nguyen | “And they sit down and they're like, this is rad.” |

Important Timestamps for Segments

• [01:09–03:00]: Jenny Nguyen’s origin story and frustration with inaccessible women’s sports in bars
• [05:26–07:07]: Universal experience of women’s sports fans; Professor Cheryl Cookie’s research
• [08:10–09:04]: Overcoming financing hurdles and Kickstarter success
• [11:20–12:01]: Sports Bra opening, immediate success, and community response
• [12:01–13:33]: Bar’s atmosphere and cultural significance for women
• [13:33–14:30]: Data on women’s sports viewership and broadcast access issues
• [14:30–15:09]: Operating costs and range of women’s sports broadcasted
• [15:38–16:14]: Male customers’ reactions; financial performance
• [16:39–17:23]: Franchising interest and future possibilities
• [17:38–18:16]: Intergenerational impact and family involvement
• [18:47]: Converting skeptics and growing acceptance

Summary Conclusion

The Sports Bra’s story reveals a pent-up demand for women’s sports—and how an innovative business can meet that need, defy conventional wisdom, and become quickly profitable while changing how we imagine sports culture. The episode highlights that when you “change the channel,” you might just change everything—for fans, for business, and for the next generation of athletes and viewers.